Surface treating apparatus



April 19, 1938. J. A, PAAscHE 2,114,723

SURFACE TREATING' APPARATUS jid/077295.

April 19, 1938. J. A. PAAscHE 2,114,723

SURF'AC E TREATING APPARATUS Filed July 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 19, 193s UNITED sTATlazs PATENT OFFICE 2,114,723 SURFACE TREATING APPARATUS Jens A. Paasehe, Wilmeae, 111. Application July 15, 1,936, Serial No. 90,787

8 Claims.

v10 plates the provision of novel portable air treating4 equipment constructed as a complete unit which may be quickly and easily transported to any desired location for use in creating and directing a `mist of treating material toward the surface of an object in movement thereby.

Ageneral object ofthe invention is to provide apparatus of this character comprising few and simple parts that may be quickly assembled to provide a strong, compact and readily portable unit which is easy to operate and highly efficient 1n use.

Another 'object is to provide a portable pneumatically operable surfacetreatingunit in which air under pressure and material fed by gravity are united at a point of emission and directed in the form of a controlled, variable mist toward a surface placed within the effective range of the misting appliance of the unit.

Stated more specifically, an object of the invention resides in the provision of a unitary whence it is projected in mist-like form by pressurefiuid force toward the surface of an object placed Within the effective range of the appliance.

Another object is to provide a surface treating 40 unit in which the operating parts are arranged .in balanced relationship upon a cross arm so that the centralization of Weightv of the unit will permit the use of a small, relatively light-weightA stand. Another object is to provide ari-improved air misting apparatus in which a pneumatic misting v4appliance and means for controlling the flow of pressure fluid to the appliance are carried by a common support in such relationship that they may overlie the path of a moving article to be treated for directing mist toward the latter upon the entrance thereof into the effective range of the appliance.

Another object resides inv the improvements in construction and the novel relationships of. parts by which the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention may be carried into practice simply and economically.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in 5 connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of the apparatus associated with a printing press. 10

Fig. 2 is a somewhat schematic view of the operation controlling electrical circuit of the apparatus.

. Fig. 3 is an enlarged'elevational view of the spraying appliance of the apparatus. 15

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of. the apparatus.'

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and will herein de- 20 scribe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form' disclosed, but intend to cover al1 modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit 25 and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In a preferred form of the invention, a compact upright supporting means has an arm which extends substantially to one side thereof and -30 carries a pneumatlcally operable air misting appliance to which treating material `is delivered by gravityfeed from a reservoir supported in a plane above the emission point of the misting appliance. The appliance is preferably of the pneu- 35 matically operated type, and the apparatus includes conditioningmeans for assuring a clean, dry supply o'f pressure fluid free from fluctuations in pressure for operating the appliance. The airconditioning means is incorporated in the appa- 40 ratus in structural cooperation with the appliance and the reservoir to produce a well balanced compact unit. Operation of the misting appliance is controllable in response to the movement of an object to be surface treated through the- 5 treating zone of the appliance and the apparatus embodies electrical controls for this purpose. y The invention vis eminently suitable for use in vthe prevention of ink offset in printing operations. That is, the apparatus is equipped to 50 practice the method of preventing ink offset which consists in applying to the inked surface but which will support a superimposed sheet surface out of contact with the freshly inked surface to prevent transference of ink from surface to surface.'

As shown in'the drawings, the apparatus embodies a base or stand I 0 from which rises an upright tubular standard II. A head structure, generally indicated at I 2, is mounted on the upper end of the standard and comprises a post I3 having one end adapted to fit telescopically into the upper end of the standard II, and a tubular socket I4 permanently fixed in cantilever fashion to the other end of the post I3 and extending therefrom in substantially right angular relation. For proper balance, the axis of the post and socket are preferably approximately coplanar. The post I3 may be'adjustably connected with the standard in any suitable manner as by means of a clamping collar I5 on the standard manipulable by a wing nut I'I.

To establish a balanced assembly, the center of mass is preferably disposed at or close to the axis of the standard II. To this end, various operating parts of the unit may be mounted on a hollow tubular arm I8 which is intermediately and slidably supported by the socket I4. One end of the arm extends a substantial distance beyond the socket and'carries a pneumatically operable treating appliance, indicated generally by the numeral an air gun and operation controlling mechanism 2| therefor, which parts will hereinafter be more fully described. At its opposite end the arm supports air conditioning mechanism which preferably includes, in series connection with the hollow arm, an air regulator 22 for assuring uniform air pressure and an oil and water separator 23. Compressed air from any suitable source (not shown), as the pressure fluid, is delivered first to the separator through an inlet nipple 24. Through this arrangement, the arm I 8 may serve as a conduit for delivering compressed air. to thetreating appliance I 9.

It will be evident thatall of the parts supporte-d by the arm I8 are disposed in a plane parallel with the axis of the socket I4 and that the weight of the parts is equally distributed about the standard II as a center, thereby rendering the apparatus iirm and steady in operation and assuring that any adjustment of the parts will be maintained permanently while in use.

Material for the air gun is preferably supplied thereto by .gravity feed from a supply reservoir 25. The reservoir may conveniently be mounted above and supported by the socket .I4 by such means as a saddle 26 for the reservoir and lugs 2'I on the saddle for rigid connection with the socket I4. A conduit 28 extends from a valve controlled outlet 29 on the reservoir to the material inlet of the air gun. The reservoir is iilled through a capped inlet 30 and a suitable fluid level indicator 3I mayy extend therethrough. Thus, the weight ofthe material supply is also substantially centered on the standard, yet the reservoir is readily accessible for relling.

The air gun 2D is preferably of a type which is adapted for rapid, intermittent operation such, for example, as that described in my copending application Serial No. 551,137, filed July 16, 1931, now Patent No. 2,059,706, issued November 3, 1936. This gun embodies a barrel 32 which houses the operating mechanism of the device, including a piston operator responsive to the admission of compressed air to open control valves for air and material. The barrel has a misting head 33 from which the material is discharged in the form of a ne, misty-fan-shaped spray. The character of the spray is adjustable by manipulating control knobs 34 and 35 and a variation from a very iine mist to a coarse heavy mist may be obtained.

The present invention is especially well adapted for use in connection with the process of pre- Ventingink oiset in printing. In such a use, the material to be sprayed comprises generally a solid base material dissolved or suspended in a relatively volatile liquid carrying medium.. The portable unit is so associated with a printing press 3'I that the freshly printed matter, such as sheets 38 on conveyer 39, may be subjected to the spray from the air gun 20 as they pass from the press to a collection point, in this instance, a stacker 40. The air gun is adjusted to deliver la light, medium or heavy spray as required by a light, medium or heavy ink treatment of the printed matter and the distance between the gun and the printed matter is so iixed that the particles of sprayed material will reach the printed surface to be treated in a substantially dry condition. Where the press is operating on a continuous web, the air gun may be in constant operation, but, where separate sheets are printed the operation of theair gun, to avoid waste and lundesirable coating of the machinery, must be 'time lag between actuation of the valve and initial spray created is of minimum duration. The gun will respond almost instantly when the valve 4I is opened. This feature is covered broadly in my copending application Serial No. 156,153, flled July 28, 1937.

Associated with the valve is an electric operator, such as a solenoid 42, which is connected in series with a master switch 43 and an operationgovernin'g switch 44 (Fig. 2). 'I'he operation governing switch 44 includes suitable contacts arranged to be relatively moved into circuit closing position by the movement of a pivotally mounted.

sheet'contactor or actuator arm 41. The governing switch assembly is mounted on the end oi' a supporting arm 45 which is arranged to be removably attached by brackets 48, or the like, to the frame of the printing press in such position that the switch actuating arm 41 extends across the path of movement of the newly printed sheets.

With` particular reference to Fig. 2, the electrical connections include leads 49 and 49 housed in a cable 50 (Fig. 1) which extends from the governing switch assembly and terminates in a two-prong detachable connecter 49h, the complementary socket 49c for which is mounted on a switch box-5I. The switch box 5I may be conveniently mounted adjacent the juncture of the post I3 and the socket I4. The winding of the solenoid 42 has its opposite ends connected with leads Sla and 5Ib of a cable 52 (Fig. 1) which extends to and is preferably connected permanently with the switch box. One lead from the solenoid winding. herein lead 5P, is arranged to be connected directly to one lead 52 of a current supply main 53 (Fig. 1) through a socket 52e and prong 52b connection. The other lead 5Ih connects with one terminal of the socket 49, and a lead 43a from the other socket terminal leads to the master switch 43 and then to the socket 52c for connection to the supply main. Thus, the solenoid cannot be energized unless the governing switch' 44 is plugged into the circuit.

A proper correlation of the positions of the governing switch 44 and the narrow elongated spraying zone may be easily determined so that the leading edge of a sheet will first strike the actuator arm 4 1 and then move just into the spraying zone as the first portion of the spray,

produced as a result of closing the switch, reaches the path of the sheet. Cessation of operation is, of course, correspondingly obtained, when the trailing edge of the sheet passes out of contact with the arm 41, thereby allowing the latter to move to its original position to open the switch 44. All other mechanical adjustments may be as easily and eiciently made. Thus, the spacing of the air gun 2f) from the surface of the sheet undergoing treatment, is adjusted by raising or lowering the supporting head I2. For best results, the misting head 33 of the gun should be disposed centrally of the sheet and at an angle to` the surface thereof, and this adjustment is attained by axially or angularly moving the arm I8 within the socket I4. I

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, aplurality of air guns 54 and 55 is provided for treating the surface of a sheet which is wider than may be effectively treated by a single air gun, or for simultaneously treating parallel rows of sheets. Each of the air guns 54 and 55 is adjustably carried by a separate tubular arm 56 and 5l, respectively. These arms are of different lengths to support the guns in such spaced relation that the spray streams therefrom will coact toprovide a continuous spray pattern across the surface of the sheets undergoing treatment. Support for the arms 56 and 51'is provided by parallel tubular sockets 58 and 59, respectively,

which are secured rigidly upon the upper end of the post I3. Any annular or axial position of adjustment of the arms may be maintained xed- 1y by tightening wing nuts 60 and 6I toslclamp the arms against relative movement within the sockets.

A supply of material to be sprayed is contained in a gravity feed tank 62 mounted above the standard II, and the tank may be supported equally by both of the sockets 58 and 59. Material from the tank is supplied to the air guns through a conduit 63. Pressure fluid, such as compressed air, passes through a conduit 64 from any suitable source into an oil and water separator 65, a pressure regulating valve mechanism 66, and then through flexible air conduits 6l and 68 to the respective arms 56 `and 51. In the present instance the separator is supported upon the standard I I by means of a bracket 69.

Operation of the modified form of the apparatus is controlled electrically in substantially the manner described in connection with the form shown in Fig. 1, but the controlling mechanism 2 I, including' the air control valve 4I and the solenoid 42, are preferably mounted adjacent to the outlet side of the regulator 66. In this instance,

the solenoid actuated valve controls the operation of both air guns simultaneously. For the purpose of unifying the construction, the master switch box 5I may be mounted as a unit with the actuator mechanism 2|. 1

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel4 portable surface treating apparatus which is simple in construction and highly eflcient in operation. All parts of the apparatus are correlated to provide a uniform, balanced structure which is light in weight and which may be easily moved into position for use. Moreover, every adjustment necessary to adapt the portable mechanism to the type of printing press with which it is to be lused may be quickly and accurately made for most eiiicient performance, thus permitting the device to be widely employed.

Cross reference is made to my copending applications Serial No. 744,155, filed September 15, 1934, and Serial No. 115,738, led December 14, 1936, as covering subject matter of invention disclosed but not claimed herein.

I claim as my invention:

1. Surface treating apparatus for operative association with printing presses or like machines comprising, in combination, an upstanding light weight portablev support, a horizontally extending member mounted at the upper end of said support for longitudinal and rotational adjustment, means mounted on said member for creating and directing a finely divided spray of material toward a surface to be treated, a material supply reservoir disposed above the spray means and connected to supplyv material thereto by gravity feed, means for supplying air under pressure to said spray means, and means for rendering said I spray means, and control means operatively convnected with said actuator and including means for adjustably installing said control means in said machine.

2. A surface treating .apparatus adapted for operative association with printing presses or the like of various types comprising, in combination, an upright support capable of being readily transported by hand from place to place, a horizontally extending member of substantial length at the upper end of said support, a pneumatic spraying device mounted at one end of said member forl proper disposition above a surface to be treated, actuating means for said device supported by said member, a material supply reservoir disposed above said device and communicating therewith to supply surface treating material to said device by gravity feed, means positioned adjacent to the vertical center of said support for conditioning air supplied to said device and having an operating connection with said device, and control means for said actuating means having a connection therewith and including means for adjustably incorporating said control means in the -various types of machines'with which the apparatus is usedv to obtain a required correlation between machine and apparatus operations.

3. A surface treating apparatus adapted for operative association `with printing presses or the like of various types comprising, in combination, an upright support capable of being readily transported by hand from place to place, a horizontally extending member of substantial length at the supplying air to said device, and control means for said actuating means comprising a separate assembly having means responsive to machine operation for controlling the starting and stopping of said actuating means, and a supporting member for the controlling means adapted to be removably and adjustably associated with various types of machines.

4. Portable surface treating apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination,

ling operation of said treating means.

5. Portable surface treating apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, a stand including an upright standard having upon its upper end a transverse tubular member, a supporting arm extending through said tubulal` member and at each end projecting therebeyond, pressure fluid operated surface treating means on one of said ends, pressure fluid conditioning means mounted upon the other of. said ends, means for controlling operation of said treating means, and a tank carried by said tubular member, the combined center of mass of the apparatus fallingsubstantially along the axis of said standard.

6. Surface treating apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, supporting means having an overhanging tubular arm including a pneumatically operable device mounted to direct a spray of material toward the surface of an object to be treated, means for delivering pressure fluid through said arm to said device for operating the same, and electrically actuated means carried by said arm closely adjacent to said device and operable when an object is within the eiective range of said device for controlling the flow of pressure fluid thereto.

7. In combination in gravity feed spraying apparatus of the character described, a base, a standard rising from said base, an elongated tubular head supported by and extending across the axis of said standard,means for adjusting the position of said head vertically along the upright axis or said standard, an arm extending through and from said head cantilever fashion and having a spraying device mounted thereon, means for securing said arm to said head, means for delivering pressure fluid to said device, and a tank connected with said device vand mounted above said head for delivering material to said device by gravity feed regardless of the vertical position of the adjustment of said head.

8. In apparatus for treating sheets to prevent ink oiset in printing, the combination of a portable stand comprising a base adapted to rest upon a floor and a standard rising therefrom to a height sufficient to extend substantially above the sheet carrying means of a printing press installation with which the apparatus may be associated, a transverse arm having a spraying appliance mounted upon one end thereof, means for connecting the opposite end of said arm to the upper portion of said standard with said appliance arranged to direct a stream of finely divided offset preventing material toward the surface of a sheet to be treated, means for supplying operating pressure fluid to said appliance, a material receptacle carried by the stand Aand having an outlet in a plane above said appliance, and a gravity feed duct connecting said outlet directly with said appliance.

JENS A. PAASCHE. 

